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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
Conventional growth of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) is typically carried out using vapor liquid solid (VLS) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods. While these methods are effective, they often involve the use of specialty gasses and equipment. We have discovered that ZnO NWs grow spontaneously from zinc (Zn) films (thermally evaporated on silicon (Si) substrates) when the films are merely heated on a hot-plate in air at ambient pressures for 10 minutes. This process does not involve any metal catalysts, seed layers, specialty gasses or surface treatments in forming patterned regions (on silicon substrates) of NWs with typical diameters in the range of 20-50 nm and lengths of 2-3 μm.